Lewis Hamilton beat Max Verstappen one-on-one first and this Saturday he will start first in the sprint race of the Brazilian Grand Prix. However, the British’s joy has been clouded by a five-place penalty for changing the combustion engine in his car. He will have to fulfill it on Sunday’s starting grid, when the race will take place, a setback that further complicates his candidacy for the eighth title.
At least, the Englishman had the pleasure of beating the World Cup leader in the first contact and he will be the favorite to scratch a maximum of three points in the sprint race . He had to suffer, especially in Q2 when he fooled the elimination due to traffic on the track, but in Q3 he exhibited authority to lead all sectors and be the only one capable of losing 1:08 at the Interlagos circuit.
Almost half a second lost Verstappen , who at least was able to protect the second position from the harassment of Valtteri Bottas. Hamilton needs the help of the Nordic to come back in the general classification and the squire was about to overcome the Dutch, but he was left with honey on his lips.
Regarding the Spanish riders, Fernando Alonso avoided elimination to the limit in Q2, but could not avoid closing the timesheets in the last round. For his part, Carlos Sainz once again surpassed his teammate Charles Leclerc and the red Ferrari cars will start sixth and seventh, respectively.
The threat of rain finally did not crystallize on this opening day in Brazil and disappears completely in the face of the sprint race, the new format introduced this year by F1 and which will experience its third edition. The first three of the short race will score points and the starting grid will be defined for Sunday, which Verstappen will face with 19 points of income over Hamilton in the World Championship standings.
